PrEP / HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis**

PrEP, which stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, is where people at risk for HIV can take HIV medicines to lower their chances of getting the HIV virus.

To demonstrate how important we think PrEP is to sexual and public health in NSW we wish to reduce barriers to PrEP so will Medicare BULK BILL consultations for PrEP follow-up/monitoring visits, providing the consultation deals only with PrEP..

**Consultations for PrEP are bulk billed

PrEP & EPIC NSW

The Directors & staff of Taylor Square Private Clinic applaud the NSW Ministry of Health for its visionary and game-changing project to provide PrEP for 3,700 people at risk of HIV infection via the EPIC NSW study. This is truly a forward-thinking & cutting-edge public health measure for the people of NSW.

Announced on World AIDS Day 1st December 2015 by NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner, the Expanded PrEP Implementation in Communities (EPIC-NSW) project is being led by University of NSW’s Kirby Institute and seeks to assess the effectiveness of PrEP in an Australian context

It is a study run by the Kirby Institute, in collaboration with a number of partners, which aims to assess the impact of the rapid expansion in access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) amongst those at high risk of acquiring HIV.

The trial will enrol 3,700 people at high risk of acquiring HIV – the vast majority of whom will be gay and bisexual men. EPIC-NSW is a criteria based access program – which means eligibility for the study will be determined on the basis of HIV risk criteria. The aim is to rapidly enrol eligible people and follow participants for two years on while they take PrEP.

Taylor Square Private Clinic is pleased to be a partner in this world leading study.

Enrolment into EPIC NSW commenced in March 2016.

WHAT IS PrEP?

“PrEP” stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, with “prophylaxis” meaning “to prevent or control the spread of an infection or disease.” PrEP is a new HIV prevention method in which people who do not have HIV infection take a pill daily to reduce their risk of becoming HIV infected. The pill is contains two antiviral medicines that are also used to treat people who already have HIV infection. These are the same drugs used to suppress the virus in people living with HIV.

WHO SHOULD TAKE PrEP?

The effectiveness of using HIV antiretroviral drugs as PrEP has been established by clinical trials conducted in gay men, heterosexual adults and injecting drug users. PrEP can be considered for people in these populations who are at high risk of acquiring HIV, such as gay and other homosexually active men who are having multiple events of condomless sex.

REGULAR MONITORING & FOLLOW UP.

People taking PrEP medication need to have a check-up every 3 months when STI & HIV testing together with a blood test for kidney & liver function will be done.